Pregnant refugees and migrants require special services, including antenatal care, safe delivery services, and post-partum check-ups for both mother and baby.

“We met nine pregnant women on this mission, ranging from the ages of 15 to 30,” said Indra Supradewi, a midwife tending to Rohingya refugees in Indonesia.
The refugees had spent months adrift at sea after their boat was abandoned by its captain.

Even in impermanent settings, women and girls have the right to plan their families.

“I still want to continue with my studies,” said Irene Ayo, a 20-year-old South Sudanese refugee in Uganda. She works with a UNFPA partner to help women access contraceptives. “When the time is right, I will have children.”

But refugee and migrant women and girls endure heightened vulnerabilities that affect their access to care. These include threats of violence, exploitation and violations of their rights.

Families suffering intense hardship may be compelled to marry their daughters off, for instance.
“Girls back in Syria sometimes married young, too, but we see it happening much more frequently,” said Izdihar, a refugee in Jordan.

Global leaders are set to attend the first-ever Summit on Refugees and Migrants. They will address the conflicts, discrimination and poverty that push people to seek new lives across oceans and continents.

At stake are the rights, health, dignity and welfare of hundreds of millions of people.
Their needs cannot be forgotten.